1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a child""s communications device for use in connection with maintaining constant communications between children and specific designated contacts. The child""s wristwatch type communications device has particular utility in allowing a child to make a 911 call or a call to a parent by the push of a single button.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In today""s world there is an ever growing need to be able to stay in contact with children at all times. It would be desirable for a child to wear a special wristwatch type telephone device where he/she could contact a small number of pre-selected family members or 911 with the push of a single button conveniently located and properly marked on the device. Additionally, the parent or other designated contact person could communicate with the child at any time to determine the child""s whereabouts or for other communications purposes.
The use of wristwatch type telephone devices is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,613 to Seager discloses a wristwatch radiotelephone, which allows the radiotelephone and timekeeping portion of the device to be removed from the wristband for use as a normal telephone. However, the Seager ""613 patent is different in structure from that of the present invention and does not disclose a small, wrist type device that will only allow the user to quickly communicate with a handful of selected people, as will as make contact with 911 authorities, by pushing one of a small number of dedicated buttons.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,110 to Baroche discloses a multifunction wristwatch with an electronic device that can include a telephone with the dialing keys located around the periphery of the watch body. However, the Baroche ""110 patent does not disclose a small, wrist type device that will only allow the user to quickly communicate with a handful of selected people, as will as make contact with 911 authorities, by pushing one of a small number of dedicated buttons.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,035 to Firooz discloses a wrist mounted telephone device that has a cellular telephone mechanism and battery power source attached to the wrist. However, the Firooz ""035 patent is different in structure from that of the present invention and does not disclose a small, wrist type device that will only allow the user to quickly communicate with a handful of selected people, as will as make contact with 911 authorities, by pushing one of a small number of dedicated buttons.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,108 to Atkins et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,611 to Saksa, and D456,791 to Forakis et al. disclose apparatus that may be of general interest and pertinent to the construction and design of the present invention. The Atkins ""108 patent discloses a programmable dialer for a mobile telephone, which allows calls to only be made to specific, preprogrammed numbers. The Saksa ""611 patent discloses a wrist telephone with the microphone and speaker releasably mounted to the tips of the thumb and one finger for use. Finally, the Forakis ""791 patent discloses the design for a telephone watch. However, all of these patents disclose devices that are different in structure from that of the present invention and none disclose a small, wrist type device that will only allow the user to quickly communicate with a handful of selected people, as will as make contact with 911 authorities, by pushing one of a small number of dedicated buttons.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a child wristwatch type communications device that allows a child to communicate with a small number of pre-selected family members or 911 by the pushing a single button conveniently located and properly marked on the wrist worn device.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved wristwatch type communications device that can be worn by children for communicating with a handful of pre-determined contacts, as well as with 911. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the child wristwatch type communications device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing parents to maintain contact with their children at all times.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of wristwatch type telephone devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved child wristwatch type communications device, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved child wristwatch type communications device and method that has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a child wristwatch type communications device which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
The present invention discloses a child""s wristwatch type communications device with such appealing features as safety, security, economy, ease of use, convenience, and simplicity. With this device parents know that a child can call anyone of a several preset numbers, including 911, with a single push of a button. This is especially useful in emergency situations and will provide tremendous peace of mind for parents, as well as for the child. The child can also call one of several numbers, such as home, mother, and father for other non-critical conversations. However, the child would not be able to run up a large phone bill with calls to friends, as they might tend to do with a ordinary cell phone. The device will be about the size of one of the larger wristwatches presently available on the market.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a swallow, closed-bottom, cylindrical base housing with a matching lid attached along the backside by hinge means. The lid will typically be spring loaded so as to snap shut and remain in a closed position until opened for use. A wireless telephone means is mounted in the base housing, along with a rechargeable battery. A battery charging port is included along one side of the base housing. Optionally, the device could be power by solar cell means. A retractable antenna is also mounted in the base housing. In the closed position, a digital clock and small speaker is exposed on the top side of the lid for providing time-of-day and voice or ringer sound. When the lid is open, a circular cover plate forms the top surface of the base housing and has several push buttons, a microphone, and an ON/OFF switch. The push buttons include both call buttons (example: home, mother, father, 911) and operational function buttons (example: end call, clear display, set clock, etc.). When the lid is closed, the ON/OFF switch will automatically place the phone in idle mode, turning off most functions, to conserve power. The device has a wristwatch type band with special securing means, which might include a nut and threaded bolt arrangement, to assure that the child doesn""t remove or lose it.
In use, to place a call the child simply opens the lid to the device and pushes one of the available call buttons. In the case of a weak signal, he/she might also pull out the retractable antenna To receive a call, the child would open the lid and start talking. For additional convenience, the child could at any time obtain the time-of-day from the digital clock on the outside of the lid.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved child wristwatch type communications device that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved child wristwatch type communications device that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved child wristwatch type communications device that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such communications devices economically available to the buying public.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method for immediately communicating with one""s children.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.